Explanation
This ordinance authorizes the City Clerk to enter into grant agreements with various social service agencies in support of non-violence programming and violence intervention strategies.
In March of 2021, Columbus City Council announced the availability of funding to support violence intervention strategies in response to rising neighborhood violence. Part of Columbus City Council’s Reimagine Safety agenda involves promoting programming that fosters youth engagement, employment, and the development of skills that will encourage long-term success and stability.
Ordinance 1008-2021, passed on April 19, 2021, provided funding totaling more than $1.3 million to 10 community agencies seeking to advance the priorities of the Reimagine Safety agenda. Now, Council seeks to provide 2 additional community organizations with funding that will further support non-violence programming:
• Reaching Higher Heights 4 Life will offer academic programming and urban gardening to students aged 6 through 17. The organization will hire 8 employees from within the community to provide 12 teenage students with mentoring, supervision, and experience in the Urban Gems program, a community garden initiative. ($85,000.00)
• 22nd Street Cookies takes a multifaceted approach to addressing the needs of teens, 14 or older, living in poverty. Teens served have all failed at least one grade and some can barely read or do elementary math. All are in danger of dropping out of school for poor attendance. All show evidence of inappropriate social behavior evidenced by either constant hitting or swearing or by extreme withdrawal. Home life for all is characterized by frequent moving, drug use and lack of parental support. ($20,000.00)
Fiscal Impact: Funding is available within the American Rescue Plan, Recovery Fund 2209.
Emergency action is requested in order to immediately implement or expand existing programming to address rising neighborhood violence.
Title
To authorize the City Clerk to enter into grant agreements with various social service agencies in support of violence intervention community programming; to authorize an expenditure of $105,500.00 $105,000.00 within the Recovery Fund; and to declare an emergency. ($105,500.00 $105,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, in March of 2021, Columbus City Council announced the availability of funding to support violence intervention strategies in response to rising neighborhood violence; and
WHEREAS, Columbus City Council’s Reimagine Safety agenda involves promoting programming that fosters youth engagement, employment, and the development of skills that will encourage long-term success and stability; and
WHEREAS, additional social service agencies have been selected to receive grant funding to enact new programming or sustaining and growing existing programming; and
WHEREAS, funding is available within the American Rescue Plan, Recovery Fund 2209 for this needed programming; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists such that it is immediately necessary to authorize the City Clerk to enter into grant agreements with social service agencies to immediately implement or expand existing programming to address rising neighborhood violence, in order to preserve the public peace, property, health or safety; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the City Clerk is hereby authorized and directed to enter into grant agreements with the following social service agencies in support of violence intervention community programming:
• Reaching Higher Heights 4 Life: ($85,000.00)
• 22nd Street Cookies: ($20,000.00)
SECTION 2. That per the action authorized in SECTION 1 of this ordinance, the expenditure of $105,500.00 $105,000.00 is hereby authorized per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3: That the funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are hereby deemed appropriated, and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 4: That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for all grant agreements or grant agreement modifications associated with this legislation.
SECTION 5. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.